Cowboys to Lose Tony Pollard, Sign 'Frankenstein' RB David Montgomery from Bears?
The flip of the calendar to 2023 already has some speculating about the future NFL landscape, with some Dallas Cowboys watchers believing it's one that won't feature Tony Pollard wearing a star on his helmet. ... but with the idea of "Frankenstein'' as a replacement.
In compiling a list of "crazy" predictions for the upcoming offseason, CBS Sports believes that Pollard, the Dallas Cowboys' dual-threat running back talent, will earn a big payday by the spring ... and it probably won't be Dallas writing the check.
Meanwhile, a USA Today outlet is suggesting that Chicago Bears free agent David Montgomery - once upon a time labeled "Frankenstein'' because he was supposed to be a back featuring so many different skills akin to so many different predecessors - should come to Dallas in Pollard's stead.
A sidebar to these ideas, and we mean no insult here: These are not "insiders'' ideas and these are not "scoops.'' The two outlets are playing a guessing game, and framed that way, we can have fun with the ideas.
CBS declares that Pollard will be the star rushing attraction in a transactional period full of them, even drawing more attention than Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Montgomery. Pollard is in the final year of his rookie contract inked upon his arrival as a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft. He has been a consistent offensive prescience in his four seasons but 2022 has been a breakthrough year, one that has produced 1,359 yards from scrimmage, 12 touchdowns (both career-highs), and his first Pro Bowl nomination.
"Whether it's working in the pass game, beating defenses to the corner off a jet sweep or just operating as your typical back in between the tackles, Pollard is a versatile weapon (that) teams are going to be bidding on -- more so than Barkley, Jacobs, or Montgomery," CBS predicts. "Spotrac projects Pollard will sign a three-year, $25.40 million deal that carries an average annual value of $8.4 million. My prediction is it's going to be higher than that, with his new AAV surpassing $10 million."
Such a deal would make Pollard the 10th running back in the NFL to be paid eight figures ... a group that also includes his Dallas teammate Ezekiel Elliott. The latter is in the midst of a six-year, $90 million contract extension that forces the Cowboys to eat over $11.8 million in dead money upon release.
What we can tell you is that the Cowboys hope to keep Pollard (with the franchise tag of $12.6 million a tough-to-swallow possibility) and that they are also hoping to restructure Elliott's contract, which features no 2023 guarantees but sits as a $16.7 million cap hit.
As for Montgomery, 25? He had a 1,000-yard season in 2020, but this year he is at 780 yards with five TDs. According to Spotrac, Montgomery’s projected market value is $7.2 million per season for a three-year deal.
One more thing: We can't write about the Dallas rushing attack without mentioning UDFA rookie Malik Davis, who might be the Cowboys' thermometer when it comes to the idea that running backs needn't be highly paid to be highly productive.
While Pollard's status will undoubtedly become one of the biggest talking points of the Cowboys' offseason affairs, Dallas (12-4) has more immediate concerns, namely its Week 18 showdown against the Washington Commanders (3:25 p.m. CT, Fox).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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